Road surface markings

ABSTRACT

THE PRESENT INVENTION IS A ROAD SURFACE MARKING, WHICH IS DIFFERENT FROM THE MARKINGS HITERTO KNOWN, BY FORMING OF A COLORED COATING WHICH, IN THE MANNER OF A TATTOO, IS APPLIED TO A DEEP DOWN-REACHING ADHESIVE OR SUBSTRATE AREA HAVING A POROUS FORMATION.

spt. 20, 1971 STEVANQN 3,605,575

ROAD SURFACE MARKINGS Filed Feb. 28, 1969 INVENTOR HANS 57'EvA/vo/v BY X0 M44 W ATTORNEY 3 United States Patent 11 3,605,575 ROAD SURFACE MARKINGS Hans Stevanon, 9030 Abtwil, Giessen, Switzerland Filed Feb. 28, 1969, Ser. No. 803,331 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Mar. 1, 1968, 3,267 68 Int. Cl. E01c 21/00 U.S. Cl. 94-22 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention is a road surface marking, which is different from the markings hitherto known, by forming of a colored coating which, in the manner of a tattoo, is applied to a deep down-reaching adhesive or substrate area having a porous formation.

The hitherto known traffic regulation markings on road surfaces, such as guiding, safety and ordinal lines, crossings for pedestrians, trafiic signals, and letterings of all kinds, cause considerable maintenance expenses, as normally these markings have to be renewed annually. The thinner the color coating, the better the adhesion, but also, the quicker the wearing off of the markings.

Furthermore, inserting of coloured cement into cavities, made by means of compressed-air driven tools, is already known.

A special method for the application of road surface markings comprises the enlargement of the color coated adhesive area of the road surface to be marked by preparing a rough surface with a formation reaching deep down, on which the color coating is applied.

The drawing shows schematically, by way of examples, embodiments of the surface road markings, as follows:

FIGS. 1 to 3 represent each a vertical section through three different profiles of adhesive areas for the application of marking colors thereto, and

FIGS. 4 and 5 represent each a plan view of the possible profile of FIG. 3.

The road surface marking shown in FIG. 1 is applied on an adhesive profile or substrate area 2 on the road surface 7 (FIG. 1) for the application of the color coating 3. The surface of the adhesive profile is rough, thus enlarging this surface considerably. The porous formation shows an irregular structure in width as well as in depth, and made either manually or mechanically, by means of a stick hammer or a stick-hammer device. The recessed adhesive area is filled in, by spraying in, spading in, or rolling in, with a color coating, known as such. The preparation of adhesive or substrate areas by mechanical treatment of the road surface is primarily applied to concrete surfaces.

FIG. 2 shows an adhesive profile, which can be prepared by means of a saudblast unit, and which is advantageously used for asphalted surfaces. The soft asphalt, as a binder, is separated or removed, respectively, from the crushed stones, which results in a rough surface, formed by the bared crushed stones, and in the formation of an adhesive area 2, recessed from the level of the asphalted surface, wherein the color coating 3 is applied.

The adhesive profiles according to the FIGS. 1 and 2, prepared by mechanical destruction of the surface of the road covering, forms by its irregular recesses a substantial- 1y enlarged adhesive area and, simultaneously, an integral deepening of same, which allows for a considerably thicker color coating than a smooth surface. After about one year, when the colored surface coating is used up, the color-filled recesses still remain, being in the manner 3,605,575 Patented Sept. 20, 1971 of a tattoo very resistant against wear and tear. The crushed stone parts of the road surface, protruding over the recessed layer of colored parts 3, provide great resistance against abrasion, thus the markings are preserved for years.

A method for applying of a recessed adhesive profile to the surface of the road layer according to the FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 on concrete surfaces, for example, consists in making the recessed profile by drilling. In the first case the recesses 2 are formed by closely spaced round holes (FIG. 4), and in the second case by closely spaced parallel grooves (FIG. 5).

By another method the recessed adhesive profile, for asphalt coatings or fresh concrete layers, for example, may be pressed in, i.e., punched in or stabbed in, by means of a stencil.

Furthermore, an extremely efiicient but expensive method may also be mentioned, according to which the surface of concrete is perforated, whereby, by means of acoustic or optical (Laser) methods, small holes are made into the concrete surface, which subsequently are filled in by color coating.

After superficial abrasion of the color coating, the recessed tattoo still remains, whereon the markings are preserved and still clearly visible as well as the surface of the markings, made rough by the pores, which provide strong adhesion between tire and road.

As is known as such, light reflecting materials, such as aluminum granulate or granulated glass, may be blended into the used color coating, whereby the night visibility of the markings is quite considerably increased.

While the road surface marking and method for applying a marking on a road surface have been shown and described in detail, it is obvious that this invention is not to be considered as being limited to the exact form disclosed, and that changes in detail and construction may be made therein within the scope of the invention, without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A method for applying a marking on a road surface comprising the steps of:

(a) radiating the road surface along a predetermined portion with a laser beam to form a continuous substrate area which is recessed below the level of said surface,

(b) said radiating step being effective to produce a rough substrate area surface having a structural formation extending over the depth of the recessed substrate area, and

(c) applying a color coating material over said recessed substrate area to form said marking.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,036,373 4/1936 Taylor 941.5 3,094,047 6/1963 Patton 941.5X 3,136,733 6/1964 Ross 94--1.5X 3,291,011 12/1966 Defregger 94--1.5 3,399,607 9/1968 Eigenmann 94l.5 3,410,185 11/1968 Harrington 94-1.5X 3,417,676 12/ 1968 Lenoble 94-1.5 3,418,896 12/1968 Rideout 94--1.5

NILE C BYERS, 111., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 94-15 

